Current Main Features and Optionssmxi lets you navigate around it fairly freely, so you can almost always go back, until you've actually started some process or other, so don't be afraid of snooping around. Most major steps will also ask you to reconfirm before they proceed (ie, install kernels, etc).

smxi and related scripts now support the following major options. If you want to learn more, read the primary smxi navigation documentation page. What follows is just a brief overview of the core functionality of smxi, listed more or less in the order the stuff happens in the script.

* Script Start Tests - Initial script start up, checks for issues, system support, etc. The first time you run smxi it will also ask you some preference questions, which it stores for future reference. * Sync Apt - Initialize apt by running apt-get/aptitude update. This lets it discover the latest kernel version in apt, either for sidux or Debian, depending on your choices and selections, and what system you're running. * System and Upgrade Information - Show your system information, including when the last time you ran smxi, the last dist-upgrade/upgrade using smxi, and the last time apt itself was used. This information is also available any time, in or out of X, by running using this command: smxi -v * Kernel Install - Next, unless you have selected to skip it in options, comes kernel install. Kernel install is skipped until after the upgrade if the installed kernel version is 2 major versions under the newest (ie: 2.6.27 is latest, 2.6.25 is installed). Kernel install lets you pick from a range of kernel/module install/remove options. * Upgrade Warnings - After kernel install, if you opt to continue, which you probably should do normally, you see the current warnings and alerts. These have 3 conditions, green, yellow, and red. Debian Sid/sidux users will almost never see the green condition, Debian Testing/Stable users will see it frequently. So don't worry if it's yellow and you're using a Sid system, that's normal, just make sure to read the alert message. If you forget it, you can always go to another terminal, and do this command: smxi -W w to see the latest alerts without actually starting smxi again. * Pre Upgrade Fixes - Once you decide to do the upgrade (or you can skip it here), the pre upgrade fixes, if any, will run, as well as pre upgrade hold/install tests, if applicable (mostly these are for Debian Sid systems). * Config Files and Start Upgrade - After the fixes run, you will see a list of config files to answer y/n to. Take a note of these, if you forget them, you can use smxi -W c in another console session to review them at any time. * Main Upgrade - Then the upgrade will run. Always check to see if anything suspicious is happening before saying 'y' do the dist-upgrade/upgrade. * Post Upgrade Choices - After the upgrade, you'll get some more options, to repeat it, try to fix something that broke, etc. Then you can continue on. Sometimes, rarely, a fix will run after the upgrade as well. * Post Upgrade Options - Next you come to the main script library module function handler, the Post Upgrade Options section, which offers a range of choices. You can do a variety of actions here, including: o Package Install - a variety of package install options, in groups, ie: utilities, non free stuff (like Opera or Flash), OpenOffice.org installer (check it out, it's quite complete), servers (nfs/samba/apache/php/mysql) and so on. o Package removal - remove packages, clean up your system of unwanted packages, like wifi stuff, isdn, etc. o Cleanup - cleanup system, kernels, system cruft. o Miscellaneous Tweaks - a wide variety of different options, check them out, or see the navigation page for full listings. o Virtual Machine Installer - Starts svmi, which lets you pick some popular options, like vmware player or virtualbox ose / non-ose. o Kernel Options - Same as you saw prior the upgrade, but you can access it from there too if you prefer, or need to, install your kernel after the upgrade. o Continue to Graphics - for non free graphics driver install. If you don't use a non free graphics driver like nVidia or Fglrx, you can exit, (to reboot etc), here, or start your desktop, if you didn't get a new kernel installed. * Graphics Install Question - The last real step in smxi is the graphics installer question, which starts sgfxi with the proper driver, or whatever option there you select. Gives a range of options depending on your card type, if it's free or non free drivers, etc. If you need more fine tuned options, you can always start sgfxi directly, after you check out its sgfxi -h help menu for a full current list of options.

That's the basic outline of what the scripts do, whether you run them alone or as standalone doesn't really matter, but it's generally easier to just run it all directly from smxi I find, but each to their own.

If you consider this applicable.......I've used it for about 2 years on an old sidux install. It works great. Simplifies everything and allows new linux users to run an ever changing sid install very easily. I recommend it 100%!

TheGarage wrote:If you consider this applicable.......I've used it for about 2 years on an old sidux install. It works great. Simplifies everything and allows new linux users to run an ever changing sid install very easily. I recommend it 100%!

Right now I have Sid installed on a VirtualBox drive. I have noticed there is one package that smxi puts on hold prior to an update, then removes the hold post update. I am thinking this would allow one to run Sid with little breakage, if any. So in the 2 years of your sidux updates with smxi, you have had no major breakage?

debianized wrote:unless the script can install my favorite apps it wouldn't be perfection to me...

I only use it to install certain apps, the ones which smxi handles (multimedia, browsers, desktops, etc) along with exoodles. It is easy enough to add swiftfox or debian multimedia repositories via copy and paste, but having it automated allows me to be even lazier. In other words, just because I CAN micromanage every little thing in the system (as in using Gentoo for 5 years), doesn't mean I care to do so now.

I wouldn't even consider running Sid without something like smxi though. I am just curious as to how foolproof smxi is these days with Sid. It should be fairly so, given the age of smxi, not to mention it's reputation.

smxi has been rock solid for me. No major breakage at all. [Really almost no minor breakage either.] Actually I installed sidux & started using smxi as an experiment to see how long it would take to break it. [Being primarily a Mepis user on my desktop I tended to favor stable over bleeding edge......or so I thought.] I've actually had fewer problems with sidux & smxi than I've had with backported newer apps on stable. Most major thing I had to do on sidux was to create an .fdi file once when my touchpad's tapping quit working due to the frequent changes in Xorg. Took all of 2 minutes to find the solution & fix it.

I've been using it since it was called sm, before it was smxi, in early 2007, on sidux during 2007 & 2008. On 2008-09-21, I switched my sidux install to preferably track testing/sid. Continued using smxi for maintenance.

Since then, on a new machine or an install for my own use, I use the latest sidux Xfce CD or pendrive to install sidux and then modify to track testing, because sidux installs fast, in about 5 minutes, then I use smxi to dist-upgrade and switch to using aptitude for installs and upgrades.

It is no longer sidux, but sidux2testing, s2t; and unsupported by sidux. It is Debian testing/sid.

1. After install, as root, I do the following: a) create /etc/apt/apt.conf to track testing. Include these lines: APT::Default-Release "testing";APT:Cache-Limit 26000000;

c) in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sidux.list, modify this line to read as follows:deb http://sidux.net/debian/ sid main contrib non-free firmware fix.main fix.contrib fix.non-freeThey sometimes fix some things in sid and also have some nice utilities as well. I also keep the sid source that sidux installed, just adding "contrib & non-free" if necessary.

e) Set smxi to use aptitude; then get inxi and smxi from http://smxi.org (You can do this from within smxi now.) # echo 'apt-type=aptitude' > /etc/smxi.conf# cd /usr/local/bin && wget smxi.org/inxi && chmod +x inxi# cd /usr/local/bin && wget smxi.org/smxi.zip && unzip smxi.zip && smxi Which runs smxi for the first d-u of the new installation. I keep a pendrive full of the latest /var/cache/apt/archives so I don't have to re-download everything on other machines with a similar debian Squeeze/Sid install.

I dist-upgrade (full-upgrade) with smxi, usually on Fridays, to have the weekend to fix things. A habit from sidux/sid. After the initial d-u, I sometimes d-u with aptitude. I usually use smxi when I want to check out a new liquorix kernel or just see what's new. h2 is continually tweaking and improving smxi.

Haven't really had any problems since I began following this method. I call it Quick Debian Testing, or s2t. When a Debian Freeze is near, I switch to track "Squeeze" and follow it into stable. After the release, when things calm down, I change back to "testing".

I know others prefer pinning but this has worked well for me for the past 1.5 years.

smxi comes already installed on antiX, (since version 7.5 released on 21 August 2008) -a MEPIS/Debian Testing distro, but I have been running it with Sid repos and using the smxi script with no problems.

There are other antiX-Sid users also running smxi, as far as I know, with no complaints.

What would be a show stopper? It's like a swiss army knife. It does what itdoes. Putting aside the usual apt-get stuff, a couple of clicks to remove andinstall kernels and video drivers makes it a keeper for me. Been using it on sidsince its inception and highly recommend it even though I still haven't usedall its features.

I'm old and my participation in this forum is proof of the miracles of modern medicine!

The biggest advantage of smxi is when using sid. The holds that the watch group keep an eye on help to keep things from going wrong, as well as the checks for packages that are known to have issues. Running sid without smxi would be a pain.

Dear Mr refractaI'm very old with very arthritic fingers. I have to click or I am in greatpain trying to type. But if I would endure the pain, just what do you thinkwould happen if I entered" aptitude install linux-image" or "aptitude purgelinux-image"? I believe I would not be successful, don't you? I believeyou are trying, unsuccessfully, to have one believe your way is less work whenin fact smxi is infinitely superior.RegardsYour humble smxi senior fanboi

Note: This message has been entered by voice to text software as I have runout of my arthritis pain prescription.

I'm old and my participation in this forum is proof of the miracles of modern medicine!